Technicians are visiting more than 350 survey monuments along the U.S. and Canadian Great Lakes shoreline to take new measurements for the International Great Lakes Datum. Read the full story by the Traverse City Record-Eagle.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220815-datum-survey
A Great Lakes piping plover from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore has been confirmed as the first juvenile of the year to arrive at the species’ wintering grounds in the southern U.S. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220815-plover-chick
A team of biologists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found evidence of an increase in sea lamprey that are spawning in the Duluth, Minnesota area. Read and hear the full story by WTIP – Grand Marais, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220815-lamprey
At the annual “We Are Water” event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, groups highlighted work to be done to clean up the South Shore Beach which is part of the Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern. Read and hear the full story by WITI – TV – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220815-milwaukee-estuary
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has started a Forest to MI Faucet initiative to protect the state’s drinking water by encouraging more sustainable forest land use and management. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220815-clean-water-initiative
A marathon swimmer has been training to cross Lake Ontario to raise funds for neurodegenerative disease research. Read the full story by The Globe and Mail.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220815-ontario-swimmer
Even with federal protection on its north shore, Lake Superior is still at risk. Read the full story by the National Observer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220815-superior-protections
Cody Bertrand’s sighting while practicing for an Angler’s Choice tournament on Lake Calumet led to the finding and removal of a 22-pound silver carp; plus a primer on what to do in such cases Read the full story by the Chicago Sun Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220815-silver-carp
Julia Noordyk, Sea Grant’s water quality and coastal communities specialist, was named a Lake Michigan Champion of Conservation in an awards ceremony Friday as part of the annual Lake Michigan Day event, held this year in Manitowoc. The Lake Michigan Stakeholders bestowed the award.
“I am humbled by this honor and know that any success would not have been possible without the inspiration and partnership of all of my excellent colleagues. I am also extremely grateful to the municipalities for their commitment in improving their communities through green infrastructure and look forward to continuing to support their visions,” Noordyk said.
Julia Noordyk (right) engages with colleagues, discussing coastal resilience concerns while sitting on the shore of Lake Michigan. Photo: Narayan Mahon
Noordyk has been with Sea Grant for more than nine years, coming from the Maine Coastal Program where she worked as a senior planner focused on outreach programs in offshore wind energy, water quality and coastal public access.
Now based in Green Bay, she has devoted herself to public engagement. Noordyk serves on the Green Bay Sustainability Commission. She said she counts among the most-rewarding actions in her time on the commission the support offered to city staff to build flood resilience, removal of green infrastructure barriers and the March 2, 2021, common council adoption of a resolution to value and protect local waters.
She is also co-leading the East River Collaborative, which is committed to building resilience in Brown County’s East River watershed. The area has seen repeated flooding. The collaborative is developing a hydrologic computer model to understand current and future flood risk; forming an East River Watershed Resilience Community of Practice; structuring a community-based watershed resilience framework that is establishing a vision, goals and near-term actions for building community capacity and flood resilience; and accelerating nature-based solutions designed to improve flood-resistance, water quality and quality of life.
The awarding organization also noted Noordyk’s leadership as the Wisconsin Clean Marina Program manager on clean marina protocols that both boost a marina’s bottom line and keep the waters cleaner. Example practices are reducing fuel spills, properly storing hazardous materials, capturing boat wash water and managing stormwater. Last year, Noordyk and partners added a marina resiliency checklist to the clean marina certification process. The self-assessment identifies risks, vulnerabilities and information gaps. It provides a blueprint for coastal communities and marinas to prioritize, plan and initiate enhancements to ensure marina resiliency to coastal hazards
Sea Grant’s Fisheries Specialist Titus Seilheimer said, “In my decade of working with Julia, she has been a constant inspiration for me. Every time I hear about what she is working on and the impacts that it is having, I think, ‘Wow, how can I be more like Julia?’ She is the definition of a Lake Michigan Champion.”
This is the sixth year champion awards have been given. In addition to Noordyk, other 2022 winners are the Glen Hills Youth Team, Bill Moren and Clean Farm Families of Ozaukee County, led by Andy Holschbach and Mike Paulus.
The Lake Michigan Stakeholders organization is made up of professionals in the fields of environmental management, academic research, education, community outreach, outdoor advocacy, agriculture and private industry. Its members collaborate to promote and celebrate the health and viability of Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan basin through stewardship and education.
The post Noordyk named a Lake Michigan Champion of Conservation first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/noordyk-named-a-lake-michigan-champion-of-conservation/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=noordyk-named-a-lake-michigan-champion-of-conservation
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI12640662E810.FloodAdvisory.126406634A80WI.GRBFLSGRB.203131f4d52a52275680600be27ce9fd
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI12640662B930.FloodAdvisory.12640662FC60WI.GRBFLSGRB.203131f4d52a52275680600be27ce9fd
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI126406628D0C.FloodAdvisory.12640662FC60WI.GRBFLSGRB.203131f4d52a52275680600be27ce9fd
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI126406626A48.SpecialWeatherStatement.1264066292E8WI.GRBSPSGRB.5cfa7211935bc211dbc0fd6b972ef73c
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI12640661F900.SpecialWeatherStatement.126406622394WI.GRBSPSGRB.7f69506b5b81037b6611f6ef2fb90a07
Two major studies are underway to try to better understand why mallard duck populations are declining in the U.S. The Great Lakes population has been down by about 16-17%. Researchers are using new technology to help solve the mystery. Read the full story by WKAR.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220812-mallardpopulations-greatlakes
Pelicans are becoming a common sight on many state waterways, including the Winnebago System, Mississippi River, the Fox River and Green Bay. The birds have earned a starring role in the book of modern Wisconsin wildlife recovery stories. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220812-featheredjewels-whitepelicans-wi
Climate change is imposing new challenges for the Great Lakes, such as lost ice cover, intensifying storms and fluctuating lake levels. However, so far, the impact of climate change on the health of the lakes is “undetermined,” according to the report. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220812-stateofthegreatlakes-climatechange
Several invasive species, such as the zebra mussel, are native to the Ponto-Caspian region, which includes the Black, Caspian and Azov Seas, and were imported to North America by transoceanic ships. These species are known to have disrupted ecosystems around the world, including those of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. However, the impacts of these invaders on native biodiversity appear to have been less extensive in the St. Lawrence River than in the Great Lakes. This phenomenon might be explained by the river’s weaker conductivity. Read the full story by The Conversation.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220812-stlawrenceriver-hostiletoinvasivespecies
Gov. Tony Evers, together with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, announced Thursday their departments of transportation will seek $889.5 million in federal funding, available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, to rebuild the John A. Blatnik Bridge between Duluth and Superior. Read the full story by Business North.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220812-federalfunds-duluthsuperiorbridgeproject
The first blue-green algae bloom appeared in Lake Superior a decade ago and until 2018, the blooms were small and short-lived, lasting from only a few hours to a day. But for Brenda Moraska Lafrancois, an aquatic ecologist for the National Park Service, a “sinking feeling” lingered long after the 2018 bloom. She realized this “wasn’t just a fluke but maybe part of a recurring pattern.” Read the full story by the Milwaukee Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220812-bluegreenalgae-lakesuperior
Saildrone, a California based company that provides data solutions for maritime security, ocean mapping, and ocean data, launched two Saildrone Explorer uncrewed surface vehicles Tuesday on a large-scale mission in Lake Superior to support the sustainable management of the $7 billion per year Great Lakes fishery. Read the full story by TB News Watch.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220812-drones-lakesuperior
The Great Lakes region is enjoying another year of lower water levels and wider beaches. July water levels on Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are down more than 2 feet from 2020, a year of near historic highs when waves devoured cherished stretches of sandy coastline. With the exception of Lake Ontario, the other Great Lakes are falling as well. Read the full story by the Chicago Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220812-lakemiwaterlevels
Lake Erie Energy Development Corp. may resume its long-stalled efforts to build the first offshore wind project in the U.S. Great Lakes after the Ohio Supreme Court rejected a challenge to its permit. Read the full story by G Captain.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220812-ohiosupremecourt-greatlakesoffshorewind
Over 60 nature organizations in Ontario have signed a letter calling on both the federal and provincial governments to officially protect the Great Lakes. This letter asks David Piccini, Ontario’s minister of environment, conservation and parks, and federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault to designate the lakes as a national marine conservation area. Read the full story by Canada’s National Observer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220812-ontario-natureorganizations
NCEI News Feed
http://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/global-climate-202207
NCEI News Feed
http://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/day-2021-south-sandwich-islands-tsunami
Chicago, IL (August 11, 2022) – The Alliance for the Great Lakes believes that access to clean water is a necessity that should never be denied, and we commend Gov. DeWine on investing $1.5 million that will help local communities identify and map lead service lines throughout the state of Ohio.
Mapping out where lead service lines exist so they can eventually be replaced is an important step in creating a water infrastructure system that equitably delivers safe, clean water to all Ohioans.
Ohio has the second-most lead service lines of any state in the country and, as the governor has said, there’s simply no safe level of lead exposure — especially for children, the elderly and other vulnerable communities. The Alliance looks forward to continued collaboration with the governor’s office on this important issue.
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Media contact: Please connect with our media team at TeamGreatLakes@mrss.com.
The post Alliance Commends H2Ohio Investment in Lead Service Line Mapping appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.
News - Alliance for the Great Lakes
News - Alliance for the Great Lakes
https://greatlakes.org/2022/08/alliance-commends-h2ohio-investment-in-lead-service-line-mapping/
Campbell at her retirement party, holding a young friend.
The one and only Linda Campbell will be retiring from the Aquatic Sciences Center in July after 40 years at ASC and 49 total years working for the people of Wisconsin at the state and university level. Although we will never be able to quantify her immense contributions, we had to try.
Number of scientific symbols available on a current iPad app: more than 3,000
Number available on the Wang computer Campbell was hired to use for scientific manuscripts in 1982: 0 [One of Campbell’s main tasks was to insert scientific symbols into paper manuscripts.]
Newsletter names over 40 years: 3 [from the “Chocolate Doorknob” to the “Littoral Drift” to the “ASC Chronicle”]
Issues of newsletters mailed out: approximately 400,000
Paperclips ordered: 3 billion [We did not count them.]
Sea Grant communications coordinators during this period: 5 [Linda Weimer, Peyton Smith, Susie Isaksen, Stephen Wittman, Moira Harrington]
Average number of emails handled per week in Campell’s first few years: 0 [there was no email in 1982]
Average number of emails handled per week recently: hundreds
Flyers mailed in support of annual American Water Association-Wisconsin Chapter meetings: 40,000
Documents submitted to the SG library: approximately 1,480 between 1982 and 2019
Campbell with Bonnie Willison and Elizabeth White at her retirement party.
Number of times a UW chancellor has made a surprise visit to deliver an award to a Sea Grant staff member: 1 [Campbell received the Classified Staff Employee Recognition Award in 2008 and the current Chancellor John Wiley dropped by to deliver it in person.]
Number of inexplicably huge cabinets at Sea Grant’s first location: 4 [They were chicken coops; the building was previously the poultry research building.]
Days during which Sea Grant staff was forced to use a ladder to enter basement offices in the “old Sea Coop” because of a cracked staircase: approximately 30
Quantity of doughnuts and other treats Campbell has offered to colleagues: more than 3,000
Number of times Campbell’s wonderful laugh has echoed through the halls, bringing joy to all who hear it: uncountable
–by Jennifer Hauxwell and Elizabeth White
The post Uncountable Contribution–Linda Campbell Retires first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/uncountable-contribution-linda-campbell-retires/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=uncountable-contribution-linda-campbell-retires
NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory
NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory
https://noaaglerl.blog/2022/08/10/new-under-ice-observing-capabilities-could-lead-to-new-discoveries-in-the-great-lakes/
Twenty-three-foot long Saildrone solar-powered sailboards are out on Lake Superior now recording data on populations of small fish like whitefish, herring and smelt. It’s part of a three-year project across the Great Lakes to see what larger research boats may have been missing under water. Read the full story by the Duluth News Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220810-drones
A new network of high-tech radio transmitters is being installed along the Ohio coastline as part of a telecommunications project advocates say will help optimize Lake Erie environmental management and accelerate water-based technology development. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220810-radio-network
After flooding events between 2017 and 2019, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will work with federal agencies and the Great Lakes states to fund the Great Lakes Coastal Resiliency Study, estimated to cost $10.5 million over four years. Read the full story by Spectrum News Buffalo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220810-coastal-resiliency
A 575-foot section of embankment that has significantly eroded and continues to pollute Michigan’s St. Joseph River with sediment and nutrients will be stabilized with a construction project starting this month. Read the full story by the South Bend Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220810-st-joseph-river
With species like wild rice, paper birch and moose at risk from a changing climate, the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, and Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa are all working on strategies to aid ecosystems on their reservation lands in northeast Minnesota. Read the full story by the Star Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220810-native-climate-change
For 12 days since mid-July, Niagara County health officials have deemed Krull Park beach in Olcott, New York, unsafe for swimming because of elevated bacteria levels in the water. Read the full story by The Buffalo News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220810-olcott-beach
Collaborative efforts are being made in Cedar River, Michigan, to help restore the sturgeon population in Lake Michigan. Members of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have been caring for 164 sturgeon and are gearing up for their eventual release at the end of August. Read the full story by the Daily Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220810-sturgeon
Project Clean Lake, currently underway in Northeast Ohio, has been reducing combined sewage overflow into Lake Erie through the construction of storage tunnels to channel stormwater and sewage to water treatment facilities before reaching the lake. Read the full story by WEWS-TV – Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220810-project-clean-lake
Based on indicators of ecosystem health, the Great Lakes are collectively assessed as ‘fair and unchanging’ in the State of the Great Lakes 2022 Report. While progress has been made in reducing toxic chemicals and the establishment of new non-native aquatic species, significant concerns remain. Read the full story by The Manitoulin Expositor.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220810-state-of-lake
All signs indicate that the warmest water on the Great Lakes is occurring now or has just happened. It could be downhill from here on the water temperature graphs. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220810-water-temperatures
New public life jacket stations have been set up at beaches in South Haven, Michigan, aimed at helping increase safety during a summer when several Lake Michigan drownings have occurred. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220810-life-jacket
Just announced: purchase a season pass for the remainder of the navigation year and it’s half off! Our season ends Sept. 5 at most upriver locks, but extends until Sept. 25 for DePere and Little Kaukauna locks. Your season pass covers any and all locks as often as you wish to cruise. And remember there’s a lot of beautiful weather left to cruise the locks after Labor day. For more info, visit our website.
Blog – Fox Locks
http://foxlocks.org/2022/08/09/50-off-season-passes/
Just announced: purchase a season pass for the remainder of the navigation year and it’s half off! Our season ends Sept. 5 at most upriver locks, but extends until Sept. 25 for DePere and Little Kaukauna locks. Your season pass covers any and all locks as often as you wish to cruise. And remember there’s a lot of beautiful weather left to cruise the locks after Labor day. For more info, visit our website.
Blog – Fox Locks
http://foxlocks.org/2022/08/09/50-off-season-passes/
Researchers from UW-Green Bay deploy a seine net in a Lake Michigan bay. Image credit: Marie Zhuikov, Wisconsin Sea Grant
There’s nothing fishy about wanting to learn about colleagues’ projects more deeply, while also spending time with far-flung co-workers, right? Or is there? The numbers below—fish measurements in centimeters—were in fact, so fishy.
Bullhead, 26
Banded killifish, 23
Yellow perch, 60
Madtom catfish, 33
Titus Seilheimer shows a bullhead to Noah Hoffman (left) and to members of the Wisconsin Sea Grant communications team at Seagull Bar State Natural Area on Lake Michigan. Image credit: Marie Zhuikov, Wisconsin Sea Grant
On an early August trip to the Seagull Bar State Natural Area on Lake Michigan, five members of the Sea Grant communications team (including me) were exposed to this count and what sounded like the recitation of another, decidedly piscivorous language.
As glorious sunshine streamed down in the sheltered small bay, our co-worker, Sea Grant Fisheries Specialist Titus Seilheimer, called out fish names and proportions. He had collected the fish, more than 100 in all, from both a 150-foot seine net and a fyke net.
In a neat hand and with a sharp pencil, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Assistant Researcher Amy Carrozino-Lyon recorded the counts of species type and measurements on a sheet of paper. She will take the figures back to her campus office and add them to previously collected data about fish species found in four areas with fresh beds of wild rice on the western shore of Green Bay for her study about the effect of wild rice on the ecosystem.
The full record of wild rice’s historic presence in the world’s fifth largest lake is murky, but it is known that this wild grass, revered by Indigenous people, grew for centuries at river mouths on the lake until development, varying water levels and pollution took a toll. Now, the plant prefers shallow waters with organic, soft sediment and clear water that isn’t frequently or extremely stirred.
Amy Carrozino-Lyon is collecting data about fish species found in four areas with fresh beds of wild rice on the western shore of Green Bay for her study about the effect of wild rice on the ecosystem. Image credit: Marie Zhuikov
Carrozino-Lyon has been restoring the stands of gracefully swaying rice, purchasing seed by the truckload and fostering nearly 40 acres of habitat. This year (2022) marks the seventh year of her efforts.
Wild rice’s effect on the ecosystem is also being checked by her two students, Noah Hoffmann and Colin Ritchie. That day, these bright young men, both students at UW-Green Bay, gave us lessons in dragonfly larvae growth, crayfish identification and the differences between native and nonnative aquatic plants.
This is all good stuff to us because we write and edit stories, post on social media and create videos and podcasts about the wonders of the Great Lakes. It was a hands-on tutorial for those of us who typically deal in words, audio and images, not slippery fish and underwater bugs.
It was also a chance to meet with our co-worker, Science Communicator Marie Zhuikov, who is based in Superior while we remaining four communicators, including Bonnie Willison and Jennifer Smith, are based in an office in Madison.
The trip not only connected us in person with valued colleagues Zhuikov and Seilheimer, but it also further proved to be a day to observe a fish count, marvel at nature’s beauty and contemplate a place where wild rice can flourish once more.
The post A pretty fishy work experience first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.
Blog | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/blog/a-pretty-fishy-work-experience/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-pretty-fishy-work-experience
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI12640625313C.SpecialWeatherStatement.126406257E30WI.GRBSPSGRB.8c7c8f0c418830d04f0eb400dec22145
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI12640624C88C.DenseFogAdvisory.126406253010WI.GRBNPWGRB.fab920d8b00c60ba33bcb64cfb528307
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1264062455B4.DenseFogAdvisory.126406253010WI.GRBNPWGRB.bed5b51f458ecd65187bba2693aa2eb2
In July, the International Union for Conservation of Nature listed the monarch butterfly as endangered for the first time in history. Potter Park Zoo in Lansing, Michigan, first installed a pollinator garden in 2018. With the recent news of the monarch’s decline, the zoo is encouraging people to build wildlife habitats of their own.
The post Potter Park Zoo encourages people to help save monarch butterfly population first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/08/09/potter-park-zoo-encourages-people-to-help-save-monarch-butterfly-population/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI126406178154.DenseFogAdvisory.126406253010WI.GRBNPWGRB.bed5b51f458ecd65187bba2693aa2eb2
Fall migration has begun for certain species of Great Lakes birds, marking the start of the annual spectacle when millions of waterfowl, waterbirds, shorebirds, songbirds and raptors leave their summer nesting areas and fly south to warmer climates for the winter. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220808-bird-migration
High-resolution satellite data and near real-time observations about the Earth’s atmosphere are now available to state-level air quality monitoring agencies across the Great Lakes. Michigan is already putting the information to good use. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220808-air-quality
